‘He’s not staying’ - Arsenal man eyed by Crystal Palace tipped to move on amid interest from five clubs

Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun is expected to leave the Emirates Stadium this summer on a permanent basis amid reported interest from Crystal Palace, according to reporter Fabrizio Romano. The youngster is believed to be attracting interest from all over Europe.

He spent last season on loan at Stade de Reims in France to get some experience under his belt. The New York-born man was a hit with the Ligue 1 outfit and fired 22 goals in all competitions.

Arsenal have a big decision to make on what to do with the USA international ahead of the next campaign. He may find it hard to get into their first-team ahead of players like Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah, with more attacking arrivals on the horizon too with the transfer window now open.

Romano has delivered his verdict on Balogun’s situation and has said, as per the Daily Mail: “I think he’s not staying at Arsenal... he really loves Arsenal but the reality is Eddie Nketiah signed a long-term contract, they have Gabriel Jesus at the club.

“The idea of the player and agent is to try something different. I think it’s going to be a slow deal. He has to wait a bit; there is going to be a domino of strikers with many clubs on the market for big strikers.

“French clubs Monaco and Marseille are interested. German clubs; especially Red Bull Leipzig and Italian clubs too.

“Inter and [AC] Milan are both exploring this possibility. They are still waiting to understand how much the asking price is going to be -- we know both clubs don’t have big money to spend on the market, so it depends.”

He added: “For Balogun, there are many clubs in the race. I think this is something for July, not for now. But he is going to be on the move.”

Balogun linked up with Arsenal in 2008 and has since risen up through the academy ranks of the London club. The former Three Lions youth star has been a regular at various levels over recent times and has made 10 first-team appearances so far in his career, chipping in with two goals.

He remains under contract until 2025 but his future is up in the air. Crystal Palace didn’t score enough goals last term and could see him as someone to sharpen their attacking options. However, they will have to bat away competition from elsewhere to land him.